Guides for sliding doors

ABSTRACT

This invention pertains to hardware for installing framed door panels in a doorway to provide a sliding door installation. Door panels are framed with rails and stiles that are interconnected at the door corners by identical brackets. The brackets at the top corners of the doors are used to carry roller wheels that rest on upper trackways of the doorway and the brackets at the bottom corners of the doors are used to carry guides that guide the doors over the trackways of a threshold of the doorway.

United States Patent Cox 1451 Oct. 31, 1972 [54] GUIDES FOR SLIDING DOORS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Inventor Arthur 18311 Railroad 1,934,045 4/1969 Germany ..l6/93 R St., Industry, Calif. 91745 [22] Filed; Sept. 30, 1971 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay

Assistant Examiner-Peter A. Aschenbrenner Appl' 185321 Attorney-J. Calvin Brown [52] US. Cl. ..l6/90, 49/411, 24/201 A [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..A47h 15/00, E05d 13/02 [58} Field of Search ....l6/90, 91, 93, 94, 95; 49/410, Thls mvemwn P t to hardware 9 installing 49/411; 24/20 R, 201 A, 2 5 1 23 4 framed door panels 1n a doorway to provlde a sl1d1ng 248/361 door installation. Door panels are framed with rails and stiles that are interconnected at the door comers [56] References Cited by'identical brackets. The brackets at the top corners UNTTED STATES PATENTS Si ifipiiiiiiiaii 32312 21323213iii: L'liliiil 3,052,930 9/1962 Mathews .;...49/411 at the bottom corners of the doors are used to carry ,332 523 gizz gllllidfis tgatfggidg the doors over the trackways of a t res o o t e oorwa 3,261,129 7/1966 Brydolf et a]. ..49/4ll y 2,774,998 12/1956 Kiekert ..16/91 8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 4 Ifir i 1 12*"22 g I: ,4 1. g Q- I; 20

- I 4 Z l6 9 /4 26 I L 40 EDomm rm a, J n M 5 m6 w & MT F u I'll lllllllll ll nllllll The present invention relates in particular to floating guides that incorporate a latch element and that are floatingly secured to corner brackets on framed door panels to guide the same over a threshold trackway.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved floating guide carried by a bracket secured to a rail and a stile secured to a door panel. When the framed door panel is installed in a doorway a latch element of the guide engages a threshold trackway at the bottom of the doorway to guide the gramed door panel ordoor during sliding of same over the trackway.

Another important object of the invention is to'provide guides at the bottom of a sliding door that is movable along a threshold trackway having a longitudinal groove defined by longitudinal lips of the trackway.

Various objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention in addition to those listed hereinabove will be evident to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates in light of this disclosure and subj objects, advantages, features and results may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention described in detail herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows two sliding doors installed in the doorway of a wardrobe closet.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectionalized view, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the fashion in which the doors of FIG. 1 are guided over trackways of a threshold at the bottom of the doorway.

. FIG. 3, a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, illustrates a bottom corner of a sliding door framed by a rail and stile that are interconnected by a bracket carrying the guide of the invention that engages a lip of a threshold trackway.

- FIG. 4, a view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2, shows an element of the guide of the invention. l

FIG. 5, a view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4, is an enlarged view of a portion of the element shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6, a view taken along line 6-6 of FIG 3, shows the guide element of FIG. 4 in combination with a portion of the bracket.

FIG. 7, a view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5, showing a locking recess in a leg of the element shown in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are similar views showing a latch element of the guide in relation to a threshold trackway. FIG. 8 shows the latch element being inserted into a trackway groove in order to engage the slide to the trackway and FIG. 9 shows the latch element as positioned after engagement of the guide with the trackway.

FIG. 10 shows the latch element of the guide.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a sliding door installation, such as may be utilized in the doorway of a wardrobe closet, having two identical door panels 10 and 12 installed for sliding movement in a doorway. These panels are suspended from roller wheels resting on trackways affixed to the top of the doorway and are guided for sliding movement by guides inserted into trackways of a threshold 14 at the bottom of the doorway. The roller wheels are carried by brackets identical to that shown in FIG. 3.

The door panels 10, 12 are made of plywood, typically 0.25 inches thick, or other suitable material and are reinforced by frame members, called rails and stiles, fitted onto the door panel edges. A rail is fitted onto the top and bottom edges of each door panel and a stile is fitted onto each vertical 'side edge of each door panel to reinforce the door panels. The rails are'all identical to one another and the stiles are all identical to one another. Thus, rails 16 and stiles 18 engage the edges of each door panel 10, 12.

in FIG. 2, bottom portions of the door panels 10, 12 are shown with their bottom edges wedged into rails 16, madeof metal. The rails are typically 1.5 inches shorter thanthe bottom edges of the door panels and the stiles 18 (see FIG. 3) are typically 0.125 inches longer than the vertical edges of the door panels. The rails 16 and stiles 18 include walls forming a channel in which the door panel edges are fitted. As can be seen in FIG. 2, each rail 16 includes a front wall that is folded double along its length, a rear wall folded double along its length and an intermediate wall connecting the front and rear walls thereof. The rails are made of resilient material, as are the stiles, so that the panel edges can be wedged into the rail channels.

Each door panel 10, 12 is provided withtwo guides 20, one at each lower corner of each door panel, mounted thereon by a respective corner bracket 22 that is secured to the lower rail 16 and an adjacent vertical stile 18. In FIG. 2 only one of the two guides affixed to each door panel is visible.

The guides 20 are situated on the rear face of the door panels l0, l2 and extend downwardly therefrom into trackways 24 of a threshold 26 of the doorway. The brackets 22 utilized to support the guides 20 are all identical to the bracket 22 shown in FIG. 3 which is a view of the rear bottom right corner of the door panel 10.

As seen in FIG. 3, lower rail 16 and vertical stile l8 meet at a concealed butt joint 28 located laterally away from the right vertical edge of the door panel. The bracket 22, made of metal, includes a generally flat I base 22a having a main rectangular area 22; a pair of spear lugs 22c, 22a; and three locking lugs 22e, 22f, and 223. The bracket has integral side legs 22h, 221, and 22j that are generally perpendicular to the rectangular base area 22b to define a channel in which a molded plastic part 20a of the guide 20 is disposed. The part 20a includes a pair of shoulders 30-, shown also in FIG. 6, and the bracket legs 22h, 22i, 22j include flanges bent as shown in FIG. 6 for holding the part 20a in the bracket 22 and for permitting vertical movement of the guide part 200 relative to the bracket 22.

The locking lugs 22c and 223 project lagerally from the bracket base area 22b and are generally coplanar therewith. The locking lug 22f projects laterally from the bracket base area 22b but is bent twice between the area 22b and the lugs extremity so that the lug is not coplanar with the area 22b but is offset from the plane of the base area 22b in order that this lug can be inserted, as shown, between the rear face ofthe door panel and the rear wall of the stile 18. The lugs 22e, 22f, 22g each include a projecting locking spur, 32, 34, and 36, respectively, for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The spurs 32 and 36 project rearward from their respective lugs, while the spur 34 projects forward from its lug in the view shown in FIG. 3.

The spear lugs 22c and 22d are identical and each is slotted near the tip thereof and bent at the tip so as to define a spear tip, perpendicular to the portion of the lug adjacent to the base area 22b that projects rearwardly in the view of FIG. 3. A forked leg 38 at each end of the base area 22b projects forward in the view of FIG. 3 and each forked leg 38 defines an open-ended U-shaped slot therein. In FIG. 3, only one of the legs 38 is visible and the other is disposed behind the guide part 20a.

The bracket 22 is'so constructed that it can be utili'zed at any of the four comers of the door panel 10 to interconnect a particular rail and stile together in a manner to be described hereinafter, and to carry either a guide 20 as shown in the various figures or a roller wheel assembly, depending upon whether the particular corner where the bracket is located is an upper corner or a lower corner of the door panel. The rail 16 has an alignment slot 16a in its rear wall. The slot 16a is located a predetermined distance from the rail end that abuts the stile 18. The stile 18 has two vertically spaced alignment slots (not labelled) in a stile wall that extends from the rear stilewall (visible in FIG. 3) toward the door panel 10. The alignment slots are located at predetermined distances of the vertically lowermost end of the stile 18.

In order to assemble the guide and bracket to the rail and stile on the door panel as is shown in FIG. 3, the assembled guide and bracket are placed adjacent the rail and stile and the spear lug 22d is inserted into the rail alignment slot 16a. At the same time, the locking lugs22e, 22g are inserted into the stile alignment slots while the locking lug 22f is inserted between a holding flange of the stile and the rear face of the door panel. The locking flange is an integral part of the stile that normally presses against the rear side of the door panel to capture the door panel between the holding flange and the front wall of the stile which is disposed on the other, or front, side of the door panel. The bracket is then pushed to the right in the view of FIG. 3 to cause the locking spurs 32, 36 to enter the channel of the stile via the stile alignment slots and to cause the locking spur 34 to pass behind the holding flange and over the rear side of the door panel and to the right of the holding flange. When the bracket is as far to the right as it will go, the spear tip of the spear lug 22d holds the bracket to the rail 16, the spurs 32 and 36 engage the stile alignment slots from the inside of the stile channel, and the spur 34 engages the inside edge of the holding flange from inside the stile channel. The lugs 22e, 22f,

22g are somewhat resilient and are resiliently deflected as the lugs enter the stile alignment slots and the small gap that normally exists between the stile holding flange and the rear side of the panel. The spurs, being resilient, tend to return to their undeflected positions upon full assembly of the bracket with the rail and stile, so that the material of the stile is wedged between the three locking lugs 22e, 22f, 22g with the spurs lockably engaging the adjacent portions of the stile.

The bracket 22 is secured to the rail 16 and stile 18 at four points-by means, of the spear lug 22d and the spurred locking lugs 22e, 22f, 223. The three locking lugs automatically assume a wedging position relative to the stile wherein a portion of the stile is wedged between the lugs 22e, 22g, and the lug 22f. The lug 22f at entry into the gap between the stile holding flange and the door panel tends to force the holding, edge of the stile holding flange forward, as shown in FIG. 3

(away from the panel door) up over the spur 34; then, due to the resiliency of the stile material, snaps pastthe locking spur toward the door panel to lock thelug 22f to the holding edge. S imultaneously,.the lugs 22e, 22g, at entry into the stile alignment slots, pass into the stile channeluntil the spurs 32 and 34 pass the alignment slots and snap into place against the edges of the alignment slots closest to the door panel to lock the lugs 22e,

' 22g in place. Thus, there is accomplished a wedging and locking action that secures the bracket to the stile while also accomplishing a sturdy interconnection by means of the bracket, between the rail and the stile.

Asshown in FIG. 3, the guide 20 carried by the bracket 22 includes a lowermost portion, to be later described, that is situated in a trackway of the threshold 26. It is possible to move the guide along the length of the trackway as the door panel is slid to the left or right in the view of FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS.47, the structural features of the guide part 20a are shown in detail. The part 20a, referred to hereinafter as a guide element, is shown in the view of FIG. 4 with the side thereof that normally faces the door panel being at the front for visual inspection. The guide element 20a has a rectangular floor or wall 20b and four side walls 20c, 20d, 20e, 20f that define a five-sided structure that is open at a sixth side that normally faces the door panel when theguide is utilized in a sliding door installation. The guide element has, as mentioned earlier, a pair of longitudinal exterior shoulders 30 flanking thewalls 20d, 20f and these the bracket 22. A narrow rib 20g projecting'from the wall 20b and extending along the main longitudinal axis of the guide element 20a is provided. The rib 20g is disposed, when the guide element is assembled with the bracket, so that it rides over the U-shaped slot of the forked leg 38 ofthe bracket, as is indicated in FIG. 6. The side walls 20d, 20f have opposed integral stops 20h that are disposed to interfere with the forked leg 38 of the bracket that is lowermost, and not visible, in FIG. 3, to limit the vertical distance through which the guide element 20a can float or move vertically with respect to the bracket '22. A pair of recesses 20i in the wall 201: serve no functional purpose except during molding of the part 20a which is made of molded plastic.

The guide element 20a has a pair of identical, laterally spaced guide legs 20] projecting vertically downward from the lowermost wall 20e'. Each guide leg ment 40, shown in FIG. 10 may be disposed between dinal the guide legs. Each guide leg includes a circular slot 20k (see FIG. 5) at one end of an open-ended wedgeshaped slot that converges toward the circular slot. Each leg 20j includes a locking recess 201 that faces the locking recess of the other guide leg. FIGS. 5 and 7 illustrate the recess 201 on one of the legs 20j. The legs 20j are laterally spaced apart by a distance about equal to the width W of the latch element 40, shown in FIG. 10.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the latch element 40 is a body specially shaped to include an integral, non-circular shaft 40a with ends 40b and 40c projecting laterally therefrom. The latch element is placed between the legs 20j of the guide element 20a by placing the ends 40b, 40c of the shaft 40a into the circular slots 20k. The latch element has an integral rearwardly projecting lip 40d of width W and also has an integral rear rectangular portion, lip, or hook 402 that projects from opposite lateral sides of the latch element. The two lips, 40d and 40e, define a channel therebetween.

In order to assemble the guide element 20 and the latch element 40 prior to assembling them with the bracket 22, the shaft ends 40b, 40c are placed into the circular slots 20b, as aforesaid. Then, the latch element is rotated to bring the laterally projecting ends of the lip 40c into locked position within the recesses 20c of the legs 20j. The latch element position thus assumed is that shown in FIG. 8.

When a framed door panel with guide carrying brackets at its bottom corners is to be installed in a doorway as shown in FIG. 1, the door is suspended from an upper trackway of the doorway and the guide 20, including the guide element 20a and latch element 40, is positioned over the threshold trackway 24 as indicated in FIG. 8. The trackway has opposed longitulips 24a, 24b defining a trackway slot therebetween. The trackway slot is wider than the guide legs 20j so that they may be readily inserted therein.

The lip 40d is brought down onto the trackway lip 24b, as shown in FIG. 8, causing the lip to rotate the latch element 40 counterclockwise about the'axis of the shaft 40a. The lateral ends of the lip 40c move out of the recesses 201 to the position shown in FIG. 8, thus causing the lip 40e to position itself vertically beneath the trackway lip 24b. The trackway lip 24b thus becomes engaged in the channel between the latch element lips 40d and 40e. The lateral ends of the lip 40e lock against the rear edges of the guide element legs 20j, so that the latch element 40 cannot be inadvertently derotated from its FIG. 9 position. As a result, the latch element latches the guide to the trackway to secure the framed door panel in place over the trackway. The door installation is thus completed.

When it is desired to remove the door from the doorway, the tip of a screwdriver S, represented by dashed lines in FIG. 9, can be inserted between the guide element wall 20e and the latch element lip 40d. The screwdriver is then rotated counterclockwise, while using the wall 20c as a fulcrum, to pry the latch element 40 loose from its FIG. 9 position and to rotate the latch element 40 clockwise back to its FIG. 8 position, whereupon it is possible to lift the door upward to remove the lowermost end of the guide from the trackway.

the like andutilized to guide the panel or the like in a predetermined path over an elongated trackway having a two sided trackway slot with a longitudinal slot lip, the guide comprising: a guide element having a base portion two laterally spaced guide legs arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other that extend downwardly from said base portion; said legs being of a width less than the width of the trackway slot whereby said legs may be inserted into said trackway slot so that said legs are spaced longitudenally within said trackway slot; a latch element rotatably mounted between said legs so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis along which said legs are laterally spaced; said latch element including vertically spaced apart lips forming a channel therebetween on one side of said latch element; said latch element being rotatable between said legs from a first rotational position permitting insertion of said legs into said trackway slot to a second rotational position wherein said lips encompass said trackway lip in said channel of said latch element to operatively engage said guide to said trackway and to prohibit inadvertent removal of said guide legs from said trackway slot.

2. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs and said latch element include means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or said second rotational positions.

3. The guide set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or second rotational positions includes lateral projections on said latch element which are releaseably engageable with recesses formed on said legs to releaseably lock said latch element in said first rotational position.

4. The guide set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or second rotational positions includes lateral projections on said latch element that are positionable against the sides of the legs facing said trackway lip to releaseably lock said latch element in said second rotational position.

5. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper surface of said latch element is angled to permit rotation of said latch element to said second rotational position wherein said upper surface abuts the said .base portion of said guide element.

6. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs include a respective slot receiving a respective end of a shaft portion of said latch element.

7. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the particular latch element lip nearest said base portion of said.

guide element is shaped to define shoulder surfaces at an upper surface of said latch element.

8. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the particular latch element lip nearest said base portion of said guide element is disposed so that upon insertion of said guide legs into said trackway slot said trackway lip is operable upon the lower portion of said particular latch element lip to rotate said latch element from said first to said second rotational position. 

1. A guide adapted to be assembled with a panel or the like and utilized to guide the panel or the like in a predetermined path over an elongated trackway having a two sided trackway slot with a longitudinal slot lip, the guide comprising: a guide element having a base portion two laterally spaced guide legs arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other that extend downwardly from said base portion; said legs being of a width less than the width of the trackway slot whereby said legs may be inserted into said trackway slot so that said legs are spaced longitudenally within said trackway slot; a latch element rotatabLy mounted between said legs so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis along which said legs are laterally spaced; said latch element including vertically spaced apart lips forming a channel therebetween on one side of said latch element; said latch element being rotatable between said legs from a first rotational position permitting insertion of said legs into said trackway slot to a second rotational position wherein said lips encompass said trackway lip in said channel of said latch element to operatively engage said guide to said trackway and to prohibit inadvertent removal of said guide legs from said trackway slot.
 2. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs and said latch element include means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or said second rotational positions.
 3. The guide set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or second rotational positions includes lateral projections on said latch element which are releaseably engageable with recesses formed on said legs to releaseably lock said latch element in said first rotational position.
 4. The guide set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for releaseably locking said latch element in either said first or second rotational positions includes lateral projections on said latch element that are positionable against the sides of the legs facing said trackway lip to releaseably lock said latch element in said second rotational position.
 5. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper surface of said latch element is angled to permit rotation of said latch element to said second rotational position wherein said upper surface abuts the said base portion of said guide element.
 6. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs include a respective slot receiving a respective end of a shaft portion of said latch element.
 7. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the particular latch element lip nearest said base portion of said guide element is shaped to define shoulder surfaces at an upper surface of said latch element.
 8. The guide set forth in claim 1 wherein the particular latch element lip nearest said base portion of said guide element is disposed so that upon insertion of said guide legs into said trackway slot said trackway lip is operable upon the lower portion of said particular latch element lip to rotate said latch element from said first to said second rotational position. 